Manchester’s oldest HIV self-help group faces closure in September

Body Positive North West (BPNW), an HIV self-help charity established for 20 years, providing over 1200 HIV-positive individuals in and around Greater Manchester with drug adherence counselling, advice and advocacy, complementary therapies, a drop-in centre with cafe, self-management courses and a telephone helpline, announced today that it may be forced to close in September due to the withdrawal of its funding by North Manchester Primary Care Trust (PCT), the leading commissioning body for HIV services in Greater Manchester.

BPNW was expecting to be financially self-sufficient by 2006, with the addition of new revenue streams and services in a new building. However, reaching that stage is now seriously threatened by this decision, and without some additional funding, the centre and its services will close in September 2005.

Earlier this year Salford PCT announced it would withdraw its previous funding for BPNW of £24,000 per year. Late last month, North Manchester PCT confirmed its March 2005 decision not to fund BPNW in the future, ending 18 years of partnership between the charity and Manchester’s health funding bodies. They had previously provided £68,000 per year. Together, the two PCTs contributions represent almost 40% of BPNW’s total running costs.

In a press statement, North Manchester PCT explained that that they had decided to withdraw BPNW's funding "due to concerns over...performance and lack of monitoring information against the agreed contract." Although they said a remedial action plan was drawn up and agreed upon in October 2004 "no further pertinent information was received and a decision was taken to discontinue funding at the end of March 2005." This was confirmed on June 20th.

However, a statement from BPNW disputes this version of events, claiming there had been no agreed contract due to lack of documentation from North Manchester PCT; that monitoring information was provided, as requested, early in 2005, and that "...no dialogue could be achieved with North Manchester PCT”.

BPNW's Chief Executive, Felicity Greenham, says that her main concern now is making sure that BPNW's clients – who were not consulted by the PCTs during this process – continue to receive services that were uniquely supplied by BPNW.

Previous funding cuts had led to a February 2003 announcement that BPNW would merge with Manchester's largest HIV organisation, George House Trust (GHT), which provides some similar services. However, the BPNW Board voted 8-1 against a merger. At the time, GHT's Chief Executive, Michelle Reid, said that she believed a merger was inevitable: “It is my firm belief that North West commissioners will not want to carry on funding two major HIV voluntary agencies in the future."

Service users at BPNW have now started a campaign to overturn the two PCTs' decisions and to demand that North Manchester and Salford PCTs honour their responsibility to fund services to those living with HIV. “The need for our services is growing rapidly and yet they are cutting the funding for this vital work – despite the fact that they have money from the government precisely for the services we provide," says Greenham.

North Manchester PCT says that they, and the other Greater Manchester PCTs "are confident that current community and voluntary sector services across Greater Manchester can meet the needs of people living with HIV, and it is incumbent upon the PCTs to ensure the appropriate use of public monies. There is a commitment to reinvest these monies into HIV services."